Finding Aid to the American Institute of Physics. Office of the Director. Records of Van Zandt Williams1964 - 1966

Biographical Note

Van Zandt Williams was born in Providence, Rhode Island on March 29, 1916. He completed his A.B. degree at Brown University in 1937 and his Ph.D. in physics at Princeton University in 1941. He then joined the Stamford Research Laboratories of the American Cyanamid Corporation, where he was a group leader in charge of infrared spectroscopy, and later assistant director of the physics division. He joined The Perkin-Elmer Corporation in 1948 as Director of Instrument Development and Sales. He was elected a vice president of the company in 1957, and three years later he became Vice President in Charge of Technical Development, with responsibility for the company's entire research and development effort. At Perkin-Elmer, Williams guided the design and rapid manufacture of commercial infra-red spectrometers and other optical instruments, some of which have become classical and have acquired universal fame. He was the 1966 President of the Optical Society of America (OSA) and headed a study which pointed out a lack of adequately trained optics personnel, and recommended an action program in optics designed to stimulate research and education in the field. He established a full time research and education office. He was named by the OSA to lead the program and to coordinate the activities of its task forces, which are variously concerned with graduate research, undergraduate education and the training of opticians and technicians. Williams was named director of the American Institute of Physics (AIP) in April 1965. His focus was developing an information retrieval system for physics, but he was also concerned with services to member societies, physics education programs, and the initiation and development of the Center for the History and Philosophy of Physics. Williams' publications reflect his interest in infrared spectroscopy, optics, and physics information systems. A bibliography may be found in Series X of this collection. The articles he supervised concerning physics information systems may be found in Series V. Van Zandt Williams died in May of 1966, shortly after his first year as director, while visiting the Institution of Electrical Engineers in London about physics information systems. Ralph Sawyer assumed the role of acting director until December 1966 when H. William Koch became AIP's new director.

Collection Summary

This collection consists primarily of correspondence on various topics, including education-related matters such as the teaching of college and pre-college physics; the regional counselors program and career placement; the development of an information system for physics literature; and correspondence, minutes, and reports of the American Institute of Physics (AIP) Advisory Committee on Physics Abstracts. Other topics include public relations, the seminars for science writers, and the establishment of the Center for History of Physics as a division of the AIP. The collection also contains biographical material, obituaries, and letters of condolence on Williams. Correspondents include: Ferdinand G. Brickwedde, Dwight E. Gray, Elmer Hutchisson, William C. Kelly, Eugene H. Kone, Vincent E. Parker, and Hugh C. Wolfe.Much of the material in the collection is of a routine nature. A large proportion of the collection is copies of correspondence and reports generated by others and sent to the director for his information. Other materials reflect Williams' personal interests and involvements. The grant seeking, receiving, and reporting activities were continued with the enthusiasm initiated under the Elmer Hutchisson directorship.

Selected Search Terms

These papers have been indexed in the International Catalog of Sources for History of Physics and Allied Sciences (ICOS) using the following terms. Those seeking related materials should search under these terms.

Series Descriptions

Series I: AIP internal organization and awards
Box 1	Folder 1	Constitution Revisions, March 1964
	Folder 2	American Institute of Physics Inc. - Annual Meeting - Minutes, 1965-1966
	Folder 3	Awards - D. Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics - Freeman J. Dyson, February-June 1965
	Folder 4	Awards - D. Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics - Nikolai N. Bogolyubov, February-May 1966
	Folder 5	Hutchisson, Elmer - Correspondence, 1963-1968
	Folder 6	Personnel - Correspondence, July-October 1965
	Folder 7	Personnel - Director's Dept. - Attendance Report , 1966
	Folder 8	Projection Reports, 1965-1968
	Folder 9	Property Committee - Correspondence, 1965-1966
	Folder 10	Search for Director - Education and Manpower Division - Correspondence, 1965-1966
	Folder 11	Search for Director - Information Planning - Correspondence, 1965-1966
	Folder 12	Search for Director - Ralph Sawyer File, January 1964-August 1966
	Folder 13	Washington Office - Dwight Gray - Correspondence, January-September 1966

Series II: Education and Manpower
	Folder 14	Careers in Physics Publications - General correspondence, 1963-1965
	Folder 15	The Physicist in Industry (career booklet) - Correspondence, April-November 1965
	Folder 16	Center for Educational Apparatus in Physics - General correspondence, 1965-1966
	Folder 17	Center for Educational Apparatus in Physics - Grant report and correspondence, 1964-1965
	Folder 18	Check List of Books for an Undergraduate Physics Library - Related correspondence, 1965
	Folder 19	Committee on Physics Facilities in Colleges - Grant correspondence, 1964-1966
	Folder 20	Doctoral Programs in Physics - Grant correspondence, August-December 1965
Box 2	Folder 21	General correspondence, February-November 1965
	Folder 22	General correspondence, 1965-1966
	Folder 23	Manpower Advisory Committee - Correspondence and agenda, 1964-1965
	Folder 24	Manpower Project - NSF correspondence, 1965-1970
	Folder 25	Pre-College Physics Program - General correspondence, 1964-1966
	Folder 26	Pre-College Physics Program - Newsletters, August-October 1965
	Folder 27	Pre-College Physics Program - Report, minutes and newsletter, 1965-1966
	Folder 28	Pre-College Physics Program - Corporate Associates Committee - Correspondence re. Regional counselors, 1965-1966
	Folder 29	Regional Counselor Program - General correspondence, 1965-1966
	Folder 30	Regional Counselor Program - General Electric Grant correspondence, 1965-1966
	Folder 31	Secondary School Physics Education - Meggars, (William F.) Fund - Correspondence, 1964-1968
	Folder 32	Student Sections Advisory Committee Meeting - Minutes and correspondence, 1965-1966
	Folder 33	Student Sections Awards Program - Correspondence and report, 1965-1966
	Folder 34	Student Sections/ Sigma Pi Sigma - Correspondence re. affiliation, 1965-1966
	Folder 35	Study of the Teaching of Physics - Grant correspondence, 1964-1966
Box 3	Folder 36	Undergraduate Education Program - Correspondence re. creation of program, 1965-1966
	Folder 37	Visiting Scientists Program in Physics - Colleges - General correspondence, 1965-1970
	Folder 38	Visiting Scientists Program in Physics - Colleges - Grant reports (1964-1965), 1963-1966
	Folder 39	Visiting Scientists Program in Physics - Colleges - Grant reports (1966-1972), 1965-1971
	Folder 40	Visiting Scientists Program in Physics Advisory Committee Meetings - Agenda, minutes, and correspondence, 1961-1971
	Folder 41	Teacher Education and Professional Standards National Conference - General correspondence, 1964-1965

Series III: Physics history
	Folder 42	Project for History of Recent Physics in the U. S. - Correspondence, 1965-1967
	Folder 43	Project for History of Recent Physics in the U. S. - Center for History of Physics - Correspondence, 1964-1965

Series IV: Journal publications
Box 4	Folder 44	Advertising - Correspondence, 1965-1966

Series V: Physics information
	Folder 45	Ad Hoc Committee, June-October 1965
	Folder 46	AIP/ IEE Plans for Physics Information Services, 1965
	Folder 47	Editing Proceedings of the International Conference on Classification Research - Grant correspondence, April-July 1965
	Folder 48	General correspondence, 1965-1966
	Folder 49	M. A. Libby and D. E. Gray - General correspondence, November-December 1966
	Folder 50	NSF Proposal - Background material, 1965-1966
	Folder 51	NSF Proposal - Distribution - Correspondence, 1965-1966
	Folder 52	Physics Information Exchange (PIE) - Moravicsik proposal, February-June 1966
	Folder 53	Physics Today - Articles and correspondence, 1965-1966
	Folder 54	Universal Decimal Classification as an Indexing Language for Mechanized Reference Retrieval System" - Correspondence and reports re. Grant 433, 1965-1969
	Folder 55	V. Z. Williams trip to London - Correspondence, February-May 1966

Series VI: Science abstracts
Box 5	Folder 56	AIP Committee on Physics Abstracts - General correspondence, 1965-1966
	Folder 57	AIP Committee on Physics Abstracts - Minutes and agenda of meetings, 1965-1966
	Folder 58	AIP Committee on Physics Abstracts - Reports, 1964-1965
	Folder 59	IEE Science Abstracts Editorial Advisory Committee - Correspondence, minutes and reports , 1965-1967

Series VII: Public relations
	Folder 60	General correspondence, 1964-1970
	Folder 61	Journal Project - Correspondence, 1965-1966
	Folder 62	Seminars for Science Writers - Correspondence, 1965-1967
	Folder 63	Seminars for Science Writers - Report to NSF, 1965

Series VIII: Member Societies
	Folder 64	American Association of Physics Teachers - Commission on College Physics - Correspondence, 1964-1966
	Folder 65	American Association of Physics Teachers - Commission on College Physics - Minutes of meetings, 1965-1966
	Folder 66	American Association of Physics Teachers - Correspondence re. transfer of Washington office activities to AIP, 1965
	Folder 67	American Physical Society - Council minutes, 1965-1966

Series IX: General subject files
	Folder 68	American Association for the Advancement of Science - Correspondence, May-June 1965
	Folder 69	American Society of Metals Science Teacher Achievement Recognition Program - Corr. re. AIP support, August-September 1965
	Folder 70	College of Electors of the Hall of Fame for Great Americans - Albert Michelson, 1965
Box 6	Folder 71	Council for the Advancement of Science Writing, 1965-1967
	Folder 72	Engineering Index, Inc. - Proposal to NSF , 1965-1966
	Folder 73	International Congress on Magnetism and Magnetics - Correspondence, 1965-1966
	Folder 74	MOSS Meetings - Correspondence, 1965-1967
	Folder 75	Smithsonian Foundation - Bicentennial Celebration, March-September 1965
	Folder 76	Unusual correspondence, September-November 1965

Series X: Official files

677 Condolence messages, May 1966678 Miscellaneous - Article on diabetes, security questionnaires, information re. passport, 1959-1966679 Obituaries and notices, May-July 1966680 Personal correspondence and insurance claim documentation, 1965-1966681 Publications, presentations and biographies - Articles and listings, January-November 1965682 82 Sawyer, R. A. - Photo (photocopies), [undated]683 83 Williams, V. Z. - Photos (photocopies), circa 1965